The tape measure is used by various persons, in both professional and non-professional environments. If one were to go to a construction site or enter a carpenter's shop, one may find a tape measure dutifully clamped to various workers' belts or in use making various measurements. One may also find tape measures in the garages or tool drawers of numerous homes, which may be used by the homeowners to make measurements while carrying out various and sundry projects.
In general, a tape measure may include a relatively thin, flexible metal tape that is mounted within a housing. The tape may include various indicia on one of its surfaces, which may be used to conduct various measurements. More specifically, the tape may be coiled within the housing on a spool, and may extend through an opening, such as a slot, formed in the housing. The spool may be rotationally mounted within the housing. One end of the tape may be coupled to the spool and the other, so-called free end, may include some sort of clasp or stop. This clasp or stop may inhibit the free end from entering the housing via the opening, and may also be used to hold the free end against an edge of an article being measured.
When using a tape measure, the user may hold the free end in place, or somehow engage the stop, so that the free end is fixed relative to the article being measured. The housing may then be moved relative to the free end to unreel a portion of the tape from the spool. When sufficient tape has been unreeled, the indicia on the tape may be used to determine the particular measurement and/or dimension. In some instances, the user of the tape measure may want to make a mark on the surface of the particular article being measured to indicate, for example, the location of the measured dimension. To do so, the user may use one hand to hold the tape measure in place, while using a separate marking device in the other hand to make the mark. Although this operation sounds relatively simple, in some cases, it can be cumbersome, time consuming, or both.
In the past, some devices have been implemented in an attempt to alleviate the cumbersome and time consuming marking procedure described above. For example, various tape measures and attachments have been developed that include a marker. These devices, however, also suffer certain drawbacks. In particular, many of these devices only make a dot on the surface of the article being measured, which may, in some cases, not be as legible as desired. Other devices may require the user to physically move the tape measure housing to make a mark or to draw or score a line at the desired position. This can adversely effect the accuracy of the measurement and may also be an awkward and cumbersome operation.
In addition to being potentially awkward, cumbersome, inaccurate, and illegible, some of the above-described devices and methods may not be amenable to aftermarket modification. In other words, the entire tape measure may need to be completely redesigned to incorporate the device. This can adversely affect the overall cost of the tape measure.
Hence, there is a need for a marking mechanism for a tape measure that addresses one or more of the drawbacks noted above. Namely, a marking mechanism that allows a sufficiently legible mark to be made on a surface, and the operation of which is relatively non-cumbersome and/or awkward, and/or that can be readily added to an existing tape measure and/or implemented into a tape measure during initial assembly without a significant increase in tape measure cost. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs.